


How Quickly Things Change

by walviemort



Category: Once Upon a Time (TV)
Genre: F/M, Mpreg, rapid pregnancy
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-04-10
Updated: 2019-04-10
Packaged: 2020-01-11 02:59:28
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,279
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18421428
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/walviemort/pseuds/walviemort
Summary: The Black Fairy is up to no good, as usual, this time setting her sights on Storybrooke’s favorite True Love couples. She needs the products of their true love—and she’s not patient. For an extra sadistic twist, why not have the guys carry out her bidding? When Killian and Dave are faced with a two-week pregnancy, how do they handle it—and how do they protect their families?





	How Quickly Things Change

**Author's Note:**

  * For [SherlockianWhovian](https://archiveofourown.org/users/SherlockianWhovian/gifts).



> HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO SHERLOCKIANWHOVIAN!!! couldn't let the day pass without some mpreg in her honor ;)

“Eat up,” Granny told them in her usual friendly-but-commanding way. And David and Killian weren’t about to argue; they were starved after a night of surveillance, trying to figure out just what the Black Fairy was still up to. At least, with the sleeping curse broken, Snow and David were back to full strength, but that just meant they were working twice as hard to take down this villain and save Emma from whatever fate lay ahead.

Wordlessly and voraciously, the two men dug into their meals as they sat hunched over in a booth. They just needed to eat, and go home and recoup; after a fruitless night, they just wanted to sleep and then come up with another plan. 

If they noticed that anything tasted different than usual in their meals, they were too tired to comment on it and chalked it up to fatigue anyways. Once they were done scarfing down breakfast, David tossed some cash on the table, nodded at Granny as they headed out the door, and then drove Killian home. And later in the day, when they were both suffering stomach aches, they just took some antacids and figured it was stress.

What they didn’t see—nor anyone, for that matter—was Granny slipping into the back room behind the kitchen and locking the door behind her, before a swirl of black smoke engulfed her and left the Black Fairy herself standing there. The real Granny lay unconscious, as a result of a sleeping spell, on some sacks of flour in one corner of the room. Gideon stood up from his seat in the opposite corner and approached his grandmother.

“Is it done then?” he asked.

The Black Fairy nodded. “Indeed; everything is going to plan. Soon we’ll have exactly what we need to enact our curse—the product of true love, twice over.”

“Can I ask—why the men?” Gideon wondered, curious.

She shrugged and giggled. “Why not? It’s more of a surprise that way, isn’t it?”

“So what do we do next?”

“Be patient and lay low; in two weeks, we’ll have all we need.” She gave a sinister smile that quickly morphed back into Granny’s. “Let’s get back to work, boy,” she told him from her disguise.

Gideon transformed himself to look like the fry cook and they headed back out to the diner.

A mile away, new life was quickly growing in two unsuspecting bellies—but they’d find out soon enough.

* * *

“You don’t look so hot, mate,” Killian quipped at David a few days later. They were eating breakfast at the loft, trying to find some sense of normalcy despite the ongoing sense of doom. Emma and Snow were doing some wedding planning at the table, but David looked like he was about to lose his meal.

“I must have ate too fast or something,” David brushed off. “Just feeling a bit nauseous.”

“Have any ginger tea around? That’s what we’d always give a seasick sailor.”

“Yeah, I think we have some leftover from when Snow was pregnant; I’ll give it a try.”

When the tea kettle began to hiss a few minutes later, Killian too requested a mug.

“Maybe there’s a stomach bug going around?” David wondered as he sipped his tea.

“Just what we need,” Killian complained.

Their thoughts seemed to be confirmed not an hour later, when both men were dashing for the toilet.

Snow and Emma told them to stay home that day and rest, and made sure they were well stocked with ginger ale and saltines as they went off for the day, taking baby Neal with them. They spent the rest of that day and the following one splitting their time between the bathroom and the couch as the illness held a grip on them, though it started to loosen its hold later in the second day.

“Thank bloody goodness,” Killian sighed as he slumped into bed that night, finally feeling normal again, even if his midsection still felt sore. He was ready to put that behind him and get back to the task at hand.

* * *

The next day, they’d convened at the Swan-Jones house around lunchtime to work on things. Snow was already there when David arrived. 

“Why did you change your pants?” she asked when he came in. “Did Neal spit up on your jeans?”

“No, uh,” David stammered, looking down at the track pants he’d changed into that he’d hoped no one would notice. “Uh, they were feeling a little snug today, so I put these on instead.”

“Too many pancakes will do that,” Killian quipped as he set out some sandwiches for lunch.

David rolled his eyes, but tried to take the attention of him and redirect it. “I don’t see you giving Killian any crap for wearing a tshirt instead of his usual getup,” he grumbled at Snow.

Now it was Killian’s turn to blush.

“No, babe, he’s right—are you feeling okay? Is the stomach bug still bothering you?” Emma asked.

“Er, no, just—I may have had a similar problem as Dave, as far as clothes fitting properly,” he explained scratching behind an ear.

“That doesn’t make any sense,” Snow said, confused. “You’ve barely been able to hold anything down the last two days; if anything, your clothes should be a little loose.”

“Um,” Emma started, running her hands up and down Killian’s abs. “Then what’s this solid thing in my fiance’s belly?”

Snow turned to David and found the same: something was rounding out his stomach from within, and it had nothing to do with poor diet. “Maybe we should head to the doctors,” she said quietly, worry filling her gaze as she found her husband’s.

Emma silently agreed, hugging Killian close. What the hell was this?

* * *

Whale had quickly determined they’d need to do an ultrasound. David went first. And whatever they thought they were about to see was not what showed up on the sonogram screen.

“That’s…” Emma started, but couldn’t finish her sentence.

“Yeah,” Snow breathed.

Even Killian recognized the image: there was a baby in there. He wrapped his arm around his stomach; was that what he had, too?

David had to stay seated after the revelation, and a few minutes later, the exam on Killian revealed the same: they were both impossibly, inexplicably pregnant.

“From the looks of things, you’re at about 14, 15 weeks,” Whale said. But then he squinted at the screen. “Wait...what?” He stared at it some more, then had an assistant zoom in on the image. “Wow, I can actually see it growing; something is accellerating this—by a lot.”

“What the hell?” Emma murmured.

“Bloody magic,” Killian sighed, staring at the ceiling.

“That’s where I’d put my money,” Whale agreed.

Snow nodded, but her pallor was living up to her name. “Okay, okay...let’s call Regina.”

* * *

They’d barely entered Regina’s mansion when the mayor wrinkled her nose. 

“Wow—I can smell the dark magic rolling off of you. What did you boys get into?”

“If we knew, we wouldn’t be here, would we?” Killian snapped back. He wasn’t sure if his short temper was caused by the stress of the situation or the normal emotional fluctuations he knew were part of pregnancy, but he didn’t really care—especially when, now that he knew, he was fairly certain he could feel the fluttering of the fetus inside him.

“Calm down—she’s the only one who can help us!” David yelled at him, similarly distressed. He wrapped an arm around his waist; he was pretty sure he could see his belly growing.

“Everyone just take a breath,” Snow said, oddly calm. “Regina, can you figure this out?”

“Come on; let’s have a seat.” She directed the boys to the sofa in her study, then stood in front of them, one hand extended to each as she magically examined them. Her eyes were closed in concentration and they could only watch as her expression morphed into a furrowed one, then as she raised her brows in surprise before finally opening them.

“Well, damn. That’s all I can say.”

“Uh, you can say more than that, right?” Emma asked, moving to Killian’s side and grabbing his hand.

“I was getting to that,” Regina retorted. “It’s definitely dark magic, but what kind, I’m not sure; I’ve only heard of things like this happening—never seen them. And there is an accellerant, like what you used on Zelena,” Regina explained, nodding at Emma, who suddenly looked sheepish. “But a much lower concentration.”

“So...do you have a due date?” Snow wondered.

“My guess? It looks like it’s going at about 20 times the normal speed, which means the entire duration would be 2 weeks-ish—roughly 3 weeks of a normal pregnancy per day. Did the doctor say how far along?”

“About 15 weeks,” David said quietly.

“So it’s been 5 days,” Regina assessed. “So, you’ve got 9 more or so to go.”

“Bloody hell,” Killian cursed. What the hell was going on?

“Emma, you need to get these two into a safe location. Someone is targeting you for some reason. Wherever you go, set up wards as soon as you get there,” Regina told them, taking command of the situation. “Snow, you’re with me. I think we need to pay a Dark One a visit.”

* * *

A few hours later, everything was settled for the Nolans to be spending the next several days at Killian and Emma’s house. Neal was settled into one of the spare rooms, while another was reserved to become a new nursery. Emma honestly never thought they’d get the chance for that, and obviously not in the way it was happening, but as terrifying as this all was, she couldn’t deny—she was a little excited, too.

The guys were squabbling over what to order on pizza—Killian wanted anchovies, David wanted olives, which was a change from their normal preferred pepperoni—when Snow and Regina arrived. 

“Well?” Emma asked, setting out plates on the dining table.

Regina huffed. “Gold says he knows nothing, and unless it has to do with Gideon, he’s not concerned. He didn’t say it wasn’t his mother, though, and that’s my only theory at the moment.”

“Why would she do this, though?” David wondered aloud.

“Because she’s evil and sadistic?” Killian offered.

“I’m guessing the truth lies somewhere in there,” Regina mediated. “There’s one thing I can say, though, that I forgot to earlier: those are your babies.”

“Like...ours?” Snow asked, wrapping an arm around David’s side.

“Yeah. Those kids have ‘true love’ written all over them. So it may not be the full ‘why’, but it’s definitely part.”

“Thanks, Regina,” Emma said, giving Killian a hug. “You want to stay for pizza?”

“Ew. No. I have lasagna waiting at home.”

“Okay, have fun with that then.”

“I will. And guys?” she added, eyes flitting between Killian and David. “Take care of yourselves, and good luck.”

“We will.” “Thanks, luv.”

Regina headed out, and the four of them settled in to what was going to be a new normal for the next several days.

“To new adventures,” Snow offered as a toast, albeit tentatively.

The other three mumbled it back, but as they quietly ate, they began to realize just how dramatic a ride they were in for.

* * *

“Say ‘cheese’!” Snow said with forced cheer.

“Cheese,” was the less-enthusiastic response from the guys.

They were standing back-to-back against a blank wall in the living room with their shirts lifted up to reveal the slight curve of their stomachs. For two men who’d always prided themselves on their looks, it felt awkward to be revealing themselves this way, even if they knew what it was.

“Come on, you two,” Snow complained. “Yeah, it’s weird and it’s probably gonna suck, but 10 years from now, we’re going to want to have this documented. Play along?” She said it like a question, but they both knew it was a demand, so they put on some smiles and posed. “Okay; let’s try to do that morning, noon, and night.”

“Seriously?” Killian whined.

“Just do it,” David said under his breath.

And so began the first day of their strange journey. The plan was for the boys to stay at home with Neal while the girls kept things as normal as possible. Snow came by at lunch to check in, and Granny stopped by in the afternoon with some snacks to get them through; they’d told her given that she was one of the few people in town they trusted. Everyone else was just told they were fighting off the flu. 

By the end of the first day, Killian knew he was going to have trouble making it through. His ankles hurt and already his tshirt was ready to pull taut against his growing stomach. David wasn’t much better off—his back was aching from the combination of everything going on in his body and Neal’s refusal to be put down that day.

“I wish there was some way to make this a little more...interesting,” he complained to Killian. “I can’t even have a beer, dammit.”

“I’d say this is plenty interesting already,” Killian answered, hand resting low on his belly, not far from where he could feel intense flutters within. “But...perhaps we could set up some wagers?”

“What are you thinking?” 

“Who has the biggest belly? Who goes into labor first? Something like that?”

“You’re on, man.”

So, when Snow took their photos that night, they started keeping track of circumference, too—if only to have numerical evidence of all the changes going on.

Their bellies were tied at the start of the next morning, but by nighttime—at what would be 21 weeks in a normal pregnancy—Killian had pulled ahead by a couple centimeters. 

But David had more exciting news. “Oh!” he exclaimed, resting his hand on the curve of his stomach. “Snow, come here!”

“What is it?” she asked, rushing over.

“Feel!” David grabbed her hand and put it next to his.

“Oh—oh my god! It’s kicking!” Snow was grinning. “Wow, it’s so fast—faster than these other two were,” she said, nodding at Emma, who was holding Neal.

“I mean, it should be, right?” Emma said.

Killian was woken in the middle of the night by what he had to assume was the same fast-paced wiggling in his own belly—and promptly woke Emma up, too.

* * *

Their growing stomachs quickly revealed another problem: they were going to outgrow their clothing soon, probably by the next day if not before then.

“I’ll see what I can find in the shops in town,” Emma offered. “But...they don’t exactly make male maternity wear.”

“Maybe some of my old tops would fit Killian?”

“Maybe; just leave the dresses at home.”

“Obviously. Though he could probably rock them.”

“I think I’ll leave that one to you, milady,” Killian quipped back. By that night, he was definitely nearing capacity in his tshirts and was eyeing David’s, hoping to take it when he outgrew them.

“Look at you boys,” Granny gushed. “You carry it all out in front of you, Hook; and Charming—what a cute bump!”

They both blushed as she handed over the bag of pastries, but it was kind of comforting to hear such normal reactions.

Now that the babies had started moving, it seemed like they never stopped; it was probably due to the accellerated nature of their pregnancies, but it grew old rather quickly (as did their frequent trips to the rest room).

“I mean, at least we know they’re growing,” David decided in the middle of the 9th day—somewhere around 26 weeks. “I know that this all started with some dark magic, but I already love this one.”

“Me too, mate. I’ve...I’ve worried that Emma and I would never get this. Whatever lies ahead, at least we have this.” Lovingly, he traced his hand over the growing curve of his belly.

After his shower the next day, Killian was gazing at his reflection. It looked so odd—granted, he already knew that from Snow’s continued documentation (and he still had the lead in circumference), but there was also something somehow perfect about it. He knew that, given the choice, he’d willingly do this if that was what it took for them to have a child. But in the current situation, he only worried for the future.

And then he turned to the side and his tune quickly changed. Nevermind, this monster was destroying his body.

He was in a foul mood when he slumped down in a chair for breakfast. “What’s got you down?” Snow asked from her perch at the stove, making eggs.

“Oh, nothing; just realizing that beauty is temporary and my body will never again be the same.”

She turned down the burner and moved the eggs to the counter. “You’ve got stretch marks, huh?”

“Aye.”

“Do you want to see mine? I’ve got to imagine you’ve seen Emma’s.”

“Yes, I have—and no, you don’t have to. Just...it’s jarring.”

Snow set a plate down in front of him. “I get that. But you’re both doing so well; you can do this.”

“I sure hope so.”

David followed a few minutes later with similar grumbles. Snow wasn’t as gentle with him. “Try dealing with them from two babies!”

* * *

Ten days into this ordeal, still no one had seen or heard from the Black Fairy in weeks. In reverse of that, Emma’s visions and tremors had yet to abate. She woke every night whimpering at the dreams that haunted her, and though she tried to hide it from Killian, he picked up on everything right away.

Though he was into his second trimester and it made it harder for him to hold and comfort her the way he wanted to, he did his best, and she seemed to glean some comfort from the constantly moving baby within him.

Late at night at the end of the 11th day, she’d woken again and Killian had brought her into his side as much as he could; their joined hands lay on top of his round belly.

“I’m scared,” she whispered into his shoulder.

“I know, love; me too,” he admitted. 

“I’m so worried—about you, about the kid—about...that I might not be able to be here for this kid, and I’ll leave Henry…” He felt a tear wet the fabric of his (well, Dave’s) shirt, and knew his own would be joining it soon—damn these hormones.

“My darling, if I have anything to say about it, that won’t happen. I won’t stop until we can have the future we’ve fought for and dreamed of.”

“I know, I know; but this complicates things—we have someone else to think about now,” she countered, tracing his stomach.

“It does, yeah; but have hope—we’ll figure this out.”

“You sound like my mom.”

“A wise woman.”

“Yeah, she is.”

* * *

The sun rose and fell on the 12th day, and it seemed like their babies were now in a sprint to the finish line; both bellies grew a few inches just in one day. When David flopped down on their bed that night, massaging the globe that was his abdomen, his anxieties were racing. For one, they still had Emma’s fate hanging over their head; two, he was exhausted from looking after Neal while this new baby was playing football with his kidneys; and three, they only had a little more than a day left in this ordeal. He and Killian had done their best to get the nursery ready here, and he knew Emma and Snow had set up an extra crib back at the loft. Belle had brought over some of the baby things she hadn’t gotten to use on Gideon for Emma & Killian, and they hadn’t gotten rid of any of Neal’s stuff yet, so everyone would probably be set.

It was just...a lot.

He sighed heavily as Snow came in and settled on the bed next to him. “What was that for? Kick to the bladder?” She started to massage his belly; her touch was heavenly on his strained muscles.

“No. Just...everything. Emma, and Neal, and this one...how are we gonna do this?”

“Together, of course.”

He scoffed a bit. “Yeah, but I’m the only one who’ll be giving birth here and Snow...I’m not sure I can do it.”

She gave him a sidelong glance. “If I could do it twice, you can do it once.”

He shook his head. “No, it’s not that; I’m...I’m not as strong as you are, Snow. I don’t know how I’ll get through it.”

“Hey.” Her tone was surprisingly stern. “You are a lot stronger than you give yourself credit for. And you know I’ll be there right at your side; you’ve got nothing to worry about—I promise.”

“Well, okay. But only because you promised.”

* * *

Things were tense the next day, knowing that the babies could come at literally any moment. Emma and Snow stayed home and hovered over the guys nervously, jumping at any noise or movement from them. They’d both been experiencing some Braxton-Hicks-like contractions over the last day or so, but no one knew what to expect with this.

Killian still had the advantage by several centimeters in their belly circumference competition; though it had only been days, he already couldn’t remember what his feet looked like and was sure the way his large, round stomach was straining against David’s shirt looked absolutely ridiculous. But he did get an odd comfort from hugging his belly and feeling the way his baby still moved about, even if the way he or she was now resting low on his hips made it difficult to move with any ease or speed.

David was honestly surprised that Killian’s belly was bigger, because with as large as he felt, he was sure he’d win that challenge. And given the way he’d been addicted to anything sugary or salty over the last couple weeks, he knew he’d probably done some damage to his body that had nothing to do with this kid. He had to admit, though, that he hadn’t completely hated this; it wasn’t anything he ever expected, and having two kids so close in age was going to be an adventure in its own right, but feeling and seeing this one grow inside him was, honestly, really cool.

Late in the afternoon—approaching the 39-week mark—both men kept shifting in their seats uncomfortably. 

“Killian, do you think it’s time?” Emma asked, bringing him a tall glass of ice water; he was sweating a bit, but no more than he had been the last couple days.

“I’m really not sure,” he answered, taking a long sip. “I guess we wait and see?”

David, who had been wincing on and off all day, suddenly groaned and doubled over. “Well, I’m not. I think...I think my water just broke.”

“Oh, shit,” Emma cursed, and Snow ran in from the kitchen to inspect. One look at his (size XXXL) sweatpants told her all she needed to know.

“Yup. You’re in labor.”

A minute later, Killian did the same thing, crying out in pain. 

“Shit, you too?” Emma asked?

“Seems so, love,” Killian said through a wince.

Of course, there was a knock at the door just then. Emma fussed over the guys while Snow ran to get it.

She threw open the door in her panic. “Granny, hi; now isn’t a good time,” she greeted the old wolf. “They both just went into labor.”

“Oh?” Granny seemed surprised, but oddly not stressed—or even remotely like herself. “Well, isn’t that perfect.”

“What?” Snow was suddenly very confused, especially as Granny barged past her to the living room (that couch was definitely going to need to be replaced).

“I don’t think they need bearclaws right now, Granny; you know anything about being a midwife?” Emma asked as she placed a cool cloth on each of their foreheads.

“As a matter of fact, I do.” But it wasn’t Granny’s voice. Four pairs of eyes pointed at Granny, who was covered in black smoky magic and revealed her true self: the Black Fairy.

Emma and Snow stared in shock, while the guys were attempting to stand and fight.

“Oh, sit down, boys—you don’t want to harm the babies now, do you?” The fairy pushed them back down on the sofa with her magic. “I’m afraid they won’t do me any good if anything bad happens,” she continued. “I need two products of true love for my plan to work; no less.” Then she glanced at the girls. “However, I can’t risk you two meddling, so…” With a wave of her hand, she whisked herself and the men away.

“Oh, I’m gonna kill her,” Emma yelled, already making for the door. They needed help and backup, as fast as they could. 

“Just let me get a shot in, too,” Snow followed.

* * *

When the smoke cleared, the three of them were in a cave—in the mines, if David had to guess. Weak torchlight shined above; he could see Killian next to him clearly, but that was it.

“Well, I better leave you two to it, then,” the Black Fairy said. “Not that I think you’re going to be able to escape, but just in case…” She waved her hand again, and shackles appeared on their ankles, connected to the wall. “Happy laboring! I’ll be back to collect those babies in a few hours. Scream if you need help! Tata!” And then she was gone.

“Bloody...buggering...hell,” Killian panted, tugging on the chain to no avail. “Got any ideas, mate?”

“No,” David breathed, which he was doing heavily as he gripped his large bump. “I think...this one’s coming fast.”

“Are you sure?”

“No, but—” He gritted his teeth in pain. “Damn, does it hurt.”

“I’ve got you, Dave,” Killian told him, holding out his hand. David took it, and together they labored, squeezing and embracing each other through their arduous—but fast—contractions.

It became obvious that David’s labor was progressing quicker than Killian’s, though. “I think I need to push,” Dave said in a tired, strained voice.

“Okay; we can do this,” Killian said, though he supposed he was comforting himself as much as David.

As carefully as possibly, they got David’s pants off and sure enough, the baby was crowning. “I can see the head; push!”

David was yelling and the torches were flickering, but after a few quick pushes, the baby was in Killian’s hand and brace; the hook had been left at home.

“It’s a girl,” Killian said, smiling, as he put her in David’s arms.

He watched with happy tears in his eyes as David reclined on the stone wall and fawned over the tiny new life in his arms, who was crying something fierce. But he could feel his own time drawing near, the contractions becoming nearly constant and pressure increasing on his pelvis.

David was wrapping his new daughter up in his discarded pants when he noticed Killian’s distress. “Your turn?”

Killian nodded. “My turn.”

As quick as they could manage, they reversed their positions, David carefully setting his baby on a flat part of the rocky floor, and guided Killian through it like he had just done for him.

But this one wasn’t coming out as easy. “Gentle pushes, man; you can do this.”

“No, I can’t,” he cried. What if he died here? Or the baby?

“Yes, you can; I won’t let you not.”

With one last, fierce cry, Killian pushed harder than he thought possible—and heard the sweetest sound he’d ever heard.

“It’s also a girl,” David told him as he put the squealing infant in his arms. She was so perfect and so precious. David handed him his pants, too, and he swaddled the babe as best he could.

For a long while, they sat huddled together, shaking a bit from the cold air—they’d put their pants back on and wrapped the babies in their shirts—but mainly staring at their little ones. Eventually, though, David wondered, “Now what?”

“Well, if the Black Fairy hasn’t come to claim them, I suppose that’s good.”

“And what do we do if she does?”

“Fight like hell.”

“Well, duh. But with what?”

They were discussing battle tactics and keeping an ear open for anything while the babies slept. For a long time, nothing happened, but then, they finally heard it—footsteps.

Gingerly, they both rose to their feet, clutching the babies close. As the sound grew, they could tell it was more than one person. “Bloody hell,” Killian muttered; there was no way they’d be able to defend themselves against this many.

But then the steps came into their cavern, and they relaxed immediately: Snow and Emma ran in, quickly followed by Regina, Belle, and Granny, armed with her crossbow.

“Don’t worry; it’s really me,” she said gruffly, then turned and guarded the entrance. “I owe her a crossbolt to the skull for tying me up like that.”

Snow and Emma rushed to their respective True Love’s sides. “Oh my god, there they are,” Emma gushed.

“You guys did it; I told you,” Snow said through her tears.

“How did you get in?” David asked. “How long have we been here?”

“Only a few hours,” Belle said. “When I heard what happened, I had to come along. I...I made a deal with her; she’ll let you go free.”

“But what about Gideon?” Killian asked; he hated to think what his friend might have given up. 

“Don’t worry about it; Rumple and I will deal with that. I wasn’t going to let her take you babies.”

Killian took a step to go give her a hug, but nearly stumbled when he did. “We owe you, love.”

“Just take care of them, okay?” She closed the distance between them to give him an embrace, and then Emma did the same.

“Okay, now that this reunion is done, can we get out of here? I see four people who probably need some serious medical attention,” Regina called out.

“Lead the way, Regina,” David replied, and she poofed them all to the hospital with a single wave of her hand.

* * *

Hours later, with clean bills of health for the new dads and the babies, both families were squeezed into a booth at Granny’s. Snow and Emma had their respective new daughters in their arms, while their tired, sore boys were basically propped against the window. They were sure their now-soft bellies would never be flat again, and certain that they’d never catch up on sleep, but as they looked on the sweet faces in their loves’ arms, they knew it was all worth it.

The rest of town was gathered in celebration—both for the new little princesses, and that Granny was back; the quality of food had really taken a nosedive.

And, with the proper pomp that such a celebration deserved, the babies were presented to the kingdom properly: Princess Ruth Nolan, and Hope Swan-Jones.

The diner erupted in applause, Henry gushed over his new sister and aunt, and even Regina seemed to shed a happy tear. But the immediate families themselves were just happy to be through their latest adventure.

Despite the tumult of the day, spirits were high.

“I’m usually the one preaching the optimism,” Snow commented as she looked at Emma and Killian, both grinning. “What changed?”

“There’s no way the Black Fairy can beat us now,” Emma replied. “Not when we have Hope.”


End file.
